ABSTRACT Magnéli‐phase titanium suboxides (Ti n O 2n‐1 ) have become a focal point of photocatalytic research due to a reduced band gap and enhanced visible light absorption, as compared to traditional TiO 2 . Herein, P25 TiO 2 is converted to mixed‐phase Ti n O 2n‐1 via ultrafast chemical reduction with sodium borohydride using magnetic induction heating (MIH) at controlled currents for 12 s. The obtained samples exhibit an increasing fraction of Ti 2 O 3 with the MIH current, from 26% at 200 A to 69% at 600 A. Among the series, the sample prepared at 600 A shows the best photocatalytic activity for water purification as manifested in the degradation of organic dyes (methylene blue) and removal of waterborne pathogenic bacteria ( Escherichia coli ), due to the photocatalytic reduction of oxygen to hydroxyl radicals. Results from this study highlight the unique potential of MIH in the ultrafast reduction of metal oxides into multiphase heterostructures and their application as high‐performance catalysts.
Tressel et al. (Mon,) studied this question.